Why Fans Weren’t Surprised When Taipro Finalist Noga Asai Joined the Juniors

On December 9, 2025, at the opening performance of Junior Showcase 2025 SHINSEI – New Star (Tokyo Globe Theatre), a stage production featuring STARTO ENTERTAINMENT Juniors, an unexpected introduction took place.

Asai Noa (18), a finalist from Netflix’s exclusive new-member audition program for timelesz, timelesz project -AUDITION- (aka “Taipro”), made a surprise appearance on stage and announced that he would be joining as a Junior. As the news spread on social media, many reacted with comments such as “I knew it” and “I had a feeling,” suggesting widespread acceptance of the announcement.

Gaining Attention as a “Taipro” Finalist

Born in the United States, Asai had been attending high school there, but traveled alone to Japan to participate in Taipro.

In an interview published in the December 2024 issue of anan (Magazine House), he revealed that he loves Michael Jackson and started dancing in first grade. He also said that, influenced by his mother, who is a fan of Arashi, he watched Japanese music programs such as Music Station (TV Asahi) and variety shows even while living in the U.S.

Additionally, according to an article on ananweb (distributed December 23), after receiving the results of the third round of auditions, Asai discussed the matter with his parents and decided to relocate to Japan, even moving his residence in order to continue with the audition process.

“However, he was unfortunately eliminated in the final round. After that, he appears to have returned to the United States, where he continued to delight fans by regularly updating his Instagram from abroad.

While former Taipro candidates have resumed activities in the public eye—such as the unit ‘ROIROM,’ formed by fellow finalists Hamakawa Roimi (19) and Honda Hiromu (25)—Asai’s agency affiliation had remained unclear.

Asai himself declared in mid-July via Instagram Stories, ‘I hope to aim even higher by making use of my experience in Taipro,’” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Fans say it all makes sense: “His behavior before joining the Juniors gave it away”

He then decided to delete his Instagram, and by around September 11 his account was no longer accessible.

“After that, photos of Asai did appear on the Instagram accounts of former Taipro candidates he was close with, but by around October he completely disappeared from social media. Asai and others were spotted in the audience at a live show by former candidate Suzuki Ryo (27), but when a group photo from the event was later released, Asai was not included.

In addition, former candidate Hino Kenta (31) posted photos on Instagram on October 28 of friends who had come to his live show, but there was one person whose face was hidden with a bear sticker. Among Taipro viewers, speculation spread that this might have been Asai. Because of the Instagram deletion and the cautious no face reveal, some fans began predicting that ‘he might be joining STARTO’” (same source).

Then, on December 9, Asai appeared without prior notice at a Junior concert, revealing that he had joined STARTO. Fans who had been closely following his movements reacted with comments such as:

〈When he deleted his Instagram and recently stopped showing his face, people were predicting he must be joining a really strict agency—but I never expected it to be STARTO〉
〈When Noa-kun deleted his Instagram account, I had a feeling he was coming to STARTO. I’m honestly just happy〉
〈Noa-kun’s fans must have been restless this whole time thinking, “This means he’s joining STARTO.” I’m looking forward to seeing him〉
〈So it really was STARTO after all, Noa-kun! I figured that must be the case when he deleted his Instagram, but starting out as a Junior was totally unexpected!〉

In addition, on the December 9 live broadcast of the radio show timelesz Sato Shori & Hara Yoshitaka no RecoMen! (Bunka Hoso), personalities Hara Yoshitaka (30) of timelesz and guest Matsushima So (28) mentioned Asai’s joining. They congratulated him, saying “Congratulations!” and added, “The fact that he chose this agency means everything to me” (Matsushima), and “I’m really happy” (Hara). Both said they had not yet met Asai in person, but sent messages of encouragement over the radio: “We’ll keep supporting you” (Matsushima) and “Let’s do our best together!” (Hara).

During Taipro, Asai demonstrated singing and dancing skills that hardly seemed possible for a current high school student. Although he was unfortunately not chosen as a member of timelesz, Matsushima and the others clearly recognized his high potential—which is why they so warmly welcomed his joining the agency. Fans are now eagerly awaiting the day when Asai will share the stage or appear on television together with the current members of timelesz.